Save Parsik HiIl Campaign wins international recognition

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Monday, 2 July 2018

MUMBAI:Concept PR has earned the Gold under PR
Agency Achievement of the Year category in the prestigious US-based 7th Annual
PR World Awards for its social communication campaign #Save Parsik Hill,
executed on behalf of Public Relations Council of India (PRCI).

This is the
second consecutive PR World award for PRCI and Concept PR as their campaign,
#Mission Mumbai Local, has won Gold under PR Milestone of the Year at the 6th
edition of the awards last year. Concept PR is the lone Indian agency to figure
in the awardees list.

Save Parsik Hill campaign focused on the need
to stop check plundering of the hills under the guise of quarrying and protects
the bio-diversity of the area. The hills have been the major source of stones
for the construction industry in Mumbai Metropolitan Region for over four
decades and they have ravaged by blasting and exploiting much beyond the
officially allotted areas.

“The PR
World Award is recognition of a novel Social Communication Campaign initiated
by Concept PR to focus on issues of community interest,” said Ashish Jalan, CEO
and director of Concept PR. “It also stands testimony to the consultancy’s
professional commitment, dedication and team work. We are happy to have
executed the Parsik Hill campaign on behalf of not-for-profit PRCI,” he said.

“We launched
a well orchestrated social communication campaign on the Environment Day in
association with the Mumbai Press Club last year,” said B N Kumar, executive
director – Concept PR. The basic idea was to bring into sharp focus the
environmental damage being done by unchecked quarrying. The campaign involved
twitter, facebook posts and an online petition to the Chief Minister to stop
further quarrying of the Hills, he said.

Four NGOs –
Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP), Awaaz Foundation, Vanashakti and Watchdog
Foundation have backed the drive. Later, SEAP continuously supported the
campaign by writing to various authorities such as the Thane district
collector, Konkan Divisional Commissioner, the forest and pollution control
board officials pointing out that many hills have begun to disappear and
whatever is left needs to be saved..

As the
massive public opinion gained momentum, various stake holders and government
agencies have veered round to the fact that Parsik Hill quarrying needs to be stopped
now. Even the Maharashtra’s Directorate of Geology and Mining has said Parsik
Hills have come under danger zone.

“We are
happy to have been associated with the PRCI campaign Save Parsik Hill. The
consistent campaign has been able to raise awareness levels among various
stakeholders,” said Nandakumar Pawar, forunder director of Shree Ekvira Aai
Pratishtan (SEAP). “But the battle is not yet over. We have to ensure Parsik
Hill is protected from quarrying altogether. SEAP, along with PRCI, will continue
the campaign through various tools of communication,” he added..

M B Jayaram,
Chief Mentor and Chairman Emeritus of PRCI, said: “We are glad that the joint
efforts are paying dividends. It has been great experience working with Concept
PR on our campaigns and win international recognition for the second
consecutive year.”

The coveted
annual SVUS PR World Awards programme encompasses the world’s best in
recognizing public relations, marketing, corporate communications, investor
relations, and business development professionals, teams, departments, and
achievements from every major industry in the world. Organizations from all
over the world including public and private, for-profit and non-profit, largest
to smallest and new start-ups, have submitted their nominations.

More than 80
judges from a broad spectrum of industry voices from around the world
participated and their average scores determined the 2018 award winners, the
organizers said.